Srinagar, Jun 07: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the current grave situation of alienation and hopelessness is a gift of the failed PDP-BJP government and PDP’s “rank opportunism” that had pushed the state into the throes of instability, misery and turmoil.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a strong mandate to act and the leverage to take a bold initiative on Kashmir but the four years of NDA rule at the Centre were “wasted” as “no breakthrough has been achieved.”
Addressing party workers at Baramulla in north Kashmir, the NC vice-president and former chief minister, while welcoming the “unilateral ceasefire” announced by the Centre, stressed the need for a follow-up initiative after taking ground realities in the Valley into account.
“While the Ramazan ceasefire was a welcome move, one needs to wonder what happens after Ramazan ends? In the absence of a follow-up initiative that takes the ground realities into account – we will yet again fail to rise to the occasion in acknowledging the slide in Kashmir and our responsibility to stem it,” he said.
According to a party press release issued here, referring to the offer of talks by the Centre to all stakeholders in the state, the NC vice-president said there should be clarity so that forward movement is achieved.
“There is ambiguity and confusion over the apparent offer of talks with the Hurriyat Conference. Various Central ministers have portrayed the offer in various different ways. The MoS PMO (Jitendra Singh) has said militancy is in its last stages in Kashmir despite the insurmountable evidence to indicate that we are in an alarming state of renewed militancy.
“How can the Central government expect the Hurriyat to come forward and talk when the Central government itself can’t speak in one voice on such a crucial issue? There should be clarity so that some forward movement can be achieved,” he said.
Abdullah said realising the gravity of the situation, his party participated in an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti recently and expressed unconditional support to all political initiatives that would bring relief to the people.
“The prolonged delay by the Central and the State governments in taking a political initiative despite repeated red flags and deterioration of the situation in Kashmir is unfortunate and has eroded the dividends of a hard-earned peace and stability that had been achieved in the state,” he said.
“Why are educated young men choosing the gun over their dreams of employment and a successful, bright future? Doctoral scholars and professors are picking up the gun while the rhetoric of the incumbent government defies ground reality,” he said.
“This is a trend that started after 2014 once PDP bartered its mandate to come to power. The consequences of PDP’s U-turn and betrayal are being borne by the youth of this state who have been left disillusioned and isolated from the system,” he said.
Claiming that his government worked very hard “during our tenure in power to wean away the youth from alienation and militancy and channelize their talent towards entrepreneurship, industry and employment generation. Unfortunately the current ruling dispensation has left no stone unturned to waste those dividends of peace and stability and has pushed the youth of the state into a corner,” the former chief minister alleged.
He said one of the starkest indictments of the present dispensation is the failure to conduct the Anantnag Lok Sabha election. “Since 1996, this is the longest delay in conducting an election to a vacant seat in the state. And this was seat vacated by the Chief Minister herself. If the Chief Minister can’t ensure the conduct of a by-election to a seat she herself held, one can only express alarm and shock at the state of affairs,” the NC vice-president said.
Abdullah said the situation in Jammu was equally worrisome and batted for talks with Pakistan to end the skirmishes on the border.
“We are losing precious lives in cross-LoC and cross-border shelling. When we advocate talks with Pakistan we are labelled as ‘anti-national’ by those people whose lives are not affected by hostility along our borders. If seeking peace and relief for border dwellers is ‘anti-national’, then I am an anti-national,” he said.
Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir was the worst victim of hostilities between India and Pakistan. We will continue to advocate for talks with Pakistan for the interests of our state and its people, the NC vice-president said.
